Garth Tander has posted the fastest lap time in the first qualifying session for Sunday’s V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000 endurance race at Mount Panorama.
The Holden Racing Team driver clocked a 2:07.664 lap-time on the 6.2-kilometre circuit to claim top spot, ahead of the all-important Top-10 Shootout that determines the make-up of the first five rows of the grid for Sunday’s 161-lap race.
Tander just managed to edge out strong challenges from Mark Winterbottom (Ford Performance Racing) and series leader Jamie Whincup (Triple 8 Holden), with the latter’s performance being all the more impressive after he damaged his car in an earlier practice accident.
A last-lap sprint from the ever-improving Dave Reynolds saw the Kelly Racing Holden driver claim a hugely impressive fourth-fastest, one spot ahead of Bathurst expert Greg Murphy.
The top-ten was completed by Craig Lowndes (Triple 8 Holden), James Courtney (Holden Racing Team), Lee Holdworth (Garry Rogers Holden), Shane van Gisbergen (Stone Brothers Ford) and Steve Owen (Paul Morris Holden).
It was a closely-fought session, with just one second covering the top seventeen runners, meaning that the likes of Will Davison (Ford Performance Racing), Alex Davison (Stone Brothers Ford), Rick Kelly (Kelly Racing Holden) and Jason Bright (Brad Jones Holden) were among the high-profile casualties who failed to make the cut for tomorrow’s one-lap shootout for pole. They will start from 11th, 13th, 16th and 18th respectively.
Series veteran Jason Bargwanna produced the session’s only major incident in what is continuing to be a rather mixed season for the Brad Jones Racing driver. He crashed his Holden on the approach to The Dipper in the session’s closing minutes, badly rearranging his car’s front axle. He will start from 21st position.
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V8 Supercars 2011 SuperCheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Final Grid:
Driver / Co-Driver | Entry / Team | Time | ||
1. | G. Tander / N. Percat | ![]() |
TOLL / Holden Racing Team | 2:07.664 |
2. | M. Winterbottom / S. Richards | ![]() |
Orrcon Steel / Ford Performance Racing | + 0.055 |
3. | J. Whincup / A. Thompson | ![]() |
Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing | + 0.077 |
4. | D. Reynolds / T. Blanchard | ![]() |
Stratco Racing / Kelly Racing | + 0.173 |
5. | G. Murphy / A. Simonsen | ![]() |
Pepsi Max Crew / Kelly Racing | + 0.249 |
6. | C. Lowndes / M. Skaife | ![]() |
Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing | + 0.338 |
7. | J. Courtney / C. McConville | ![]() |
TOLL / Holden Racing Team | + 0.340 |
8. | L. Holdsworth / G. Ritter | ![]() |
Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 0.430 |
9. | S. van Gisbergen / J. McIntyre | ![]() |
SP Tools / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.432 |
10. | S. Owen / P. Morris | ![]() |
VIP Petfoods / Paul Morris Motorsport | + 0.477 |
11. | W. Davison / L. Youlden | ![]() |
Trading Post / Ford Performance Racing | + 0.534 |
12. | P. Dumbrell / D. Canto | ![]() |
The Bottle-O Racing Team / Rod Nash | + 0.580 |
13. | A. Davison / D. Brabham | ![]() |
Irwin / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.625 |
14. | M. Caruso / M. Marshall | ![]() |
Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 0.782 |
15. | T. Slade / D. Gaunt | ![]() |
Lucky 7 Racing / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.808 |
16. | R. Kelly / O. Kelly | ![]() |
Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing | + 0.861 |
17. | J. Moffat / M. Halliday | ![]() |
Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.999 |
18. | J. Bright / A. Jones | ![]() |
Team BOC / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.004 |
19. | T. Kelly / D. Russell | ![]() |
Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing | + 1.063 |
20. | F. Coulthard / C. Baird | ![]() |
Bundaberg Racing / Walkinsaw Racing | + 1.111 |
21. | J. Bargwanna / S. Price | ![]() |
Jana Living Racing / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.452 |
22. | W. Luff / N. Pretty | ![]() |
Gulf Western Oil / Lucas Dumbrell | + 1.486 |
23. | T. D’Alberto / D. Wood | ![]() |
Wilson Security / Tony D’Alberto Racing | + 1.531 |
24. | S. Johnson / D. Besnard | ![]() |
Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing | + 1.644 |
25. | R. Ingall / J. Perkins | ![]() |
Supercheap Auto / Paul Morris | + 1.669 |
26. | J. Webb / R. Lyons | ![]() |
Mother Energy Racing Team / Tekno | + 1.738 |
27. | K. Reindler / D. Wall | ![]() |
Fair Dinkum Sheds / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.738 |
28. | D. Fiore / M. Patrizi | ![]() |
Westrac / Triple F Racing | + 2.355 |
29. | G. Denyer / C. Waters | ![]() |
Shannons / Kelly Racing | + 4.073 |
[Image and video via V8 Supercars]
Richard Bailey
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